From a 1-rotational RBIBD to a partitioned difference family (Q612918)

Summary: Generalizing the case of \(\lambda=1\) given by \textit{M. Buratti} and \textit{F. Zuanni} [Bull. Belg. Math. Soc. - Simon Stevin 5, No.~2--3, 221--235 (1998); addendum ibid. 7, No.~2, 311 (2000; Zbl 0922.05007)], we characterize the 1-rotational difference families generating a 1-rotational \((v,k,\lambda)\)-RBIBD, that is a \((v,k,\lambda)\) resolvable balanced incomplete block design admitting an automorphism group \(G\) acting sharply transitively on all but one point \(\infty\) and leaving invariant a resolution \({\mathcal R}\) of it. When \(G\) is transitive on \({\mathcal R}\), we prove that removing \(\infty\) from a parallel class of \({\mathcal R}\) one gets a partitioned difference family, a concept recently introduced by \textit{C. Ding} and \textit{J. Yin} [IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory 51, No. 10, 3671--3674 (2005; Zbl 1181.94128)] and used to construct optimal constant composition codes. In this way, by exploiting old and new results about the existence of 1-rotational RBIBDs we are able to derive a great bulk of previously unnoticed partitioned difference families. Among the RBIBDs we construct, in particular, a \((45,5,2)\)-RBIBD whose existence was previously in doubt.